Fiddlin' Fees

It appears that I haven't posted in a few days, so here I am catching up, although there is not too much going on really. Devoted Husband seems to like the new job and the benefits are great. It sounds like a fabulous office. I can only hope that he likes doing the actual work. I just called his phone for the first time, too. He really didn't seem that eager to talk. Still on double secret probation, I guess. My co-worker Miss Bella was taking the subway the other day when she heard a musician playing, as subway musicians are prone to do. It was a fiddler and MB liked the music so much she bought one of his CDs. I'm personally not a huge fan of instrumental fiddling, but I can always support the arts.    MB told me that in Toronto the musicians, or buskers, have to get a license to perform in the subway stations and in order to get the license, the musicians must audition first. They are judged on stage presence, musical or performance talent and entertainment value. Licenses, at an annual cost of $150, are then granted to the top 74 musicians and one honorary musician for a total of 75. The musicians are then placed on a 4 day rotating schedule going to any one of the 25 Toronto subway stops, so the one musician doesn't have to fight for another to get the "good stops." It all seems like a bit much to me. I mean, c'mon! They're just musicians. Personally, I'm just as entertained with an "professional" musician as with a guy banging on a bucket with a broken spatula. Like the guy I saw doing just that at the Beaches a few weeks ago. Now THAT'S entertainment! A CANADIAN FACT! While most of the auditioning entertainers are guitarists, the list of instruments played at the auditions has included the balalaika, violin, kalimba (thumb piano), cello, saxophone, mandolin, cimbalon, dizi (Chinese Flute) pan flute, banjo, dijerridoo, bassoon, hurdy-gurdy and steel pans, although it appears, no buckets.

New Job News

More rain. Welcome to April in Toronto. Yesterday was Devoted Husband's first day at his new job and it seems like a good fit for him. He's the only man on his floor, but that may change as people are getting moved around and moved into a new section of their building. His co-workers seem really nice and friendly. They even took him and the rest of the department for a Welcome/Birthday lunch for DH and his boss, who had a birthday on Sunday. DH was worried because he didn't have much money on him, but lunch was on the company dime - something that he didn't experience at his previous job. Welcome, DH, to the world of "For Profit" business! There are a lot of differences compared to his old job other than that. He doesn't have to wear a stupid tie. The company is building a big kitchen with multiple appliances and a computer so you can go on the Internets during your lunch hour. And as previously mentioned, he can walk to work and to my office. Actually, he has to walk to work, since he doesn't have a parking spot. It'll be good for him, though.

April Showers

I can't speak for your weather situation, but this past weekend we had more than our fair share of rain. So, it wasn't a big weekend for fun in the "A.I.T." household. We had an unfortunate trip to the grocery store that was a little soggy and a lunchtime trip to Shopsy's, a local deli. We actually did watch old videos of Baby Boy when he was much less mobile. We couldn't believe how slow he crawled and moved around. His legs were so chubby. He has really thinned out since he started walking. Speaking of BB, while we out to dinner on Saturday night (which we happened to be surrounded with a whole bunch of miserable Red Sox fans that had just attended a loss to the Blue Jays), he got a balloon (one of his favorite things) and he said, "Ball" which I think is pretty close. So, on Sunday I asked him to "bring Mommy the ball" and he did it right away. He then brought me a book and his shoes when I asked. What a smart boy! He even brought me different books and different shoes when I asked him later. What's the American Reading? I just finished Company by Max Barry (author of the great Jennifer Government) and it was a fabulously dark and funny novel about the current corporate culture. It's a satire, but not a completely unbelievable one. A CANADIAN FACT! The average annual Toronto rainfall is 27.1 inches.

Toujours Frais

I've noticed that certain companies here in Canada are pretty ubiquitous. Every country has them, of course. In the U.S., however, these companies are pretty much found everywhere on Earth: Nike, Coca-Cola, Microsoft. While we have many U.S. fast food chains here, Subway, Pizza Hut, Burger King, McDonald's, really the 900-pound gorilla of Canadian fast food is the legendary coffee and donuts emporium, Tim Hortons. Tim Hortons (originally known as "Tim Horton" with no possessive "s") is Canada's largest fast food chain, with more than double the Canadian locations of McDonald's. As a matter of fact, there are two TH within walking distance of my home and two more within walking distance of my office. The chain was founded in 1963 by Tim Horton (naturally) who played in the National Hockey League (naturally) from 1949 until his death in a car accident in 1974. Soon after Horton opened the store, he met Ron Joyce, a former Hamilton police constable. In 1965, Joyce's entrepreneurial spirit had come to the fore and he took over the fledgling Tim Horton Donut Shop on Ottawa Street in Hamilton. Upon Horton's death, Joyce bought out the Horton family and took over as sole owner of the existing chain of the forty stores. Currently, the parent company of TH is the Wendy's Corporation and you'll often see the two restaurants occupying the same space in a building. Recently TH opened up some U.S. stores, mostly on the East coast and in Northern New York. I always see the one near the Maine Mall every time that I visit my parents back home. Also, at the request of Canadian servicemen and women, in March 2006 Tim Hortons announced intentions to open a shop at the Canadian forces base in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Every spring is TH's big Roll Up The Rim to Win contest. Customers determine if they have won prizes by unrolling the rim on their paper cup when they have finished their drink, revealing their luck underneath. There was big news recently as a little girl in the Montreal area fished a cup out of the garbage and asked another girl to help her lift up the rim. As it turns out, the prize for that cup was a $32,000 Toyota RAV4 SUV. Each family thought that they deserved the car, and Tim Hortons originally stated that they would not intervene in the dispute. However, this past week Tim Hortons announced that they had decided to award the prize to the parents of the girl who had initially discovered the cup. Despite Tim Hortons' prominence, I really don't go very often, as I don't drink coffee and rarely have donuts, but I do enjoy a Saturday morning low-fat muffin or some Timbits (donut holes). A CANADIAN FACT! Tim Hortons accounted for 22.6% of all fast food industry revenues in Canada in 2005 and they commands 76% of the Canadian market for coffee and baked goods. They hold 62% of the Canadian coffee market with Starbucks at number two with a pathetic 7%.

Spring Baby Boy Pictures

Ah, it's another beautiful spring day here in T.O. and here are some more pictures of Baby Boy! A Day in the Park Easter Sunday BB and I were walking down the street yesterday on the way to day care when we saw a rabbit just sitting on a little patch of grass right near the street. It was quite a shock to see a bunny in the middle of the city, but the rabbit seemed cool with it. So, if anyone in the Greater Toronto Area is missing a big, brown rabbit, it was last seen on Carlaw Avenue.

Easter Continued

I'd thought that I'd give a little idea of how a Canadian Easter goes. Mostly, it's the same as in the U.S., but there are differences. For one, everything is closed on Good Friday, as well as, Easter. In fact, it's actually a long weekend, Friday through Easter Monday. Saturday, however, is the day that everyone gets out of the house to get their holiday materials. This past Saturday was beautiful and Baby Boy and I went out to run our own errands. The streets were quite crowded and bustling. Last Thursday, the weather was so nice I wanted us to go out to dinner and take advantage of it. So, we went to The Magic Oven, which serves organic and vegetarian pizzas, salads and sandwiches. I had a delicious Greek Salad and DH had a pizza with organic Italian sausage, which he liked as well. On Easter Sunday, we managed to find an open restaurant that wasn't swamped and had a high chair. And that restaurant was...Philthy McNasty's! It's actually a sports bar. A kid-friendly sports bar. Each booth has its own TV on the table and the server was very good and took good care of us. We also had a coupon for a free entree, so that was good too. I had no intention of going to Philthy McNasty's when I woke up that morning, but it turned out to be a fun time. Recently, Devoted Husband and I were talking about even though we live in the middle of a huge city, we feel a real sense of a community in the area where we live, much more so than when we lived in California. When we go to the park or walk into the shops on the Danforth or just go to our local grocery store, there is a real feeling of living in a neighborhood. I really like it. The other thing that DH wanted me to bring up is the weird habit that a lot of restaurants have of serving cans of soda, rather than glasses of soda (by the way, it's "pop" up here, not "soda") - therefore, no refills. On the other hand, you get a much larger selection of drinks with the cans. So, there you go. What's the American Reading? I just finished, Fugitives and Refugees : A Walk in Portland, Oregon by Chuck Palahniuk, the author of Fight Club. It's a fabulous book about tons of weird places and things to do in Portland, Oregon. It really makes me want to visit, but I don't think I'll be going anywhere for a time. A CANADIAN FACT! Celebrity impersonators love Shania Twain. No other Canadian performer—male or female—has attracted as many impersonators.

Happy Easter, Passover, Patriot's Day, Spring, etc.

Big happenings going on up here as of late, that's for sure. Firstly, Devoted Husband has managed to get himself a "proper job" with benefits and everything! He starts a week from today. He'll be working as an Accounts Receivable clerk for an auto financing company. I think it's a good fit for him, plus he will get to wear business casual instead of the shirts and ties from his old job. He also can walk to work just like myself. In fact, he's only a few blocks away from my office. We can meet for lunch and just be the cutest couple in the world! I'm so excited. He is less so, as he would just rather not work, period. Well, don't we all. We also just got our OHIP (health insurance) cards from the province. It has our picture on it, much like a driver's license. My picture isn't so bad. With DH's new job, we'll be getting supplemental insurance for stuff that OHIP doesn't cover, like prescriptions and dental. Also, yesterday was Easter and Baby Boy and I went to the First Unitarian Congregation of Toronto, which is the church that I've been going to for a few weeks now. I was a member of a Unitarian congregation back in California and I think I've found a good fit for me here. Of course, BB had to dress up all cute and stuff and here he is... Here are some more pics with his Easter Basket... I'm sure we'll post more when DH gets them organized and cleaned up. I'll have more Easter fun tomorrow. A CANADIAN FACT! The Toronto Easter Parade has been an annual event since 1966 - this year marks its 40th anniversary!

Baby Bully

This past Monday, Baby Boy turned 15 months old. He is a wonderfully pleasant boy who is constantly on the go. But, sadly, it appears that Baby Boy is turning into a bit of a bully. He will push the other toddler at day care and then he will steal the other toddler's toy. I know, I know. He's "at that age." He's only one year old. But I don't want him to be the class jerk or a troublemaker. He's such a happy little guy that when he behaves that way, it just seems so out of character for him. I don't see it, however, since he has no competition for his toys at home. Oddly enough though, we were at the park last Sunday and BB was playing with a ball. BB threw the ball in the direction of an older kid playing in the sand. The older kid went out of his way to pick up the ball and heave it to the other side of the playground. BB, to his credit, did not fuss or cry. He just started walking to pick it up again. But I can only hope BB doesn't become a punk older kid that picks on babies. WAIT! What am I talking about?? Baby Boy is the best baby in the whole wide world! Of course he'll be fine. I feel better already! A CANADIAN FACT! The city of Toronto has over 275 public parks.

Back in the U.S.A...Sorta

Devoted Husband and I had to get a document notarized and since we couldn't use a Canadian notary (As an aside, I was very old before I realized that it was a "notary public" and not a "notar republic." I don't know what I was thinking.) we had to use a U.S. notary only. So, the closest place we could go with a U.S. notary was the local United States Consulate. I knew that I would have to go to the Consulate at some time, for instance, to vote, but I had no idea it would be soon. The Consulate is only open from 8:30am to 1:00pm and for a major Consulate in a major city there was a pretty small skeleton crew running things. The building itself is pretty blah and not at all impressive. There's also a very creepy picture of Dick Cheney at the security checkpoint. While we were waiting, the TV was showing TLC's A Baby Story, so we were in the waiting room listening to women give birth. Sort of a weird thing to show in a waiting room with mixed company. I've been pretty happy with all my encounters with Canadian government employees, but you could tell that we were technically back in the U.S., because it took almost an hour for us to get the stupid paper notarized. Actually, we were waiting for 45 minutes and actually being assisted for 10 minutes. Typical. But, it's done and we didn't have to go all the way to New York to do it. So, I guess there's that. I just thought that my first visit back to U.S. soil would be a little more impressive. Perhaps involving a welcome home parade and fireworks. Maybe next time. A CANADIAN FACT! There are 13 Canadian Consulates and One Embassy in the U.S. The Embassy is, of course, located in Washington D.C. and the Consulates are located in Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, New York City, Seattle, San Francisco and San Jose.

Canadian Candy Challenge Week One

As I have mentioned in the past, there are certainly a wide variety of weird little candies here North of the Border. So, Devoted Husband and I have decided to try out these tasty treats. Our first victim is the relatively simple Chunky Kit Kat Peanut Butter. A little background: the traditional four finger version of the Kit Kat chocolate bar was originally launched in September 1935 in the UK as Rowntree's Chocolate Crisp. Rowntree's Chocolate Crisp was renamed Kit Kat Chocolate Crisp in 1937, and subsequently just Kit Kat after World War II. Kit Kat Chunky has one large finger approximately 2.5 cm wide and was introduced in 1999. Here in Canada (and virtually the entire world), Kit Kat is manufactured by Nestle, while in the U.S. it is manufactured by Hershey, Nestle's bitter rival. The Kit Kat Chunky Peanut Butter is currently available in Canada, the UK, Europe and Australia, but not the U.S. So, what's the verdict? Well, it tasted pretty much like you think a Kit Kat with Peanut Butter would taste like. It was good, but not stop-the-presses amazing. Although I can't think of a comparable candy bar off the top of my head, I know there must be something out there. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know. Devoted Husband didn't say much, but he ate his half willingly so I can only assume he enjoyed it at least. Supposedly, Canadian Kit Kats taste different that U.S. Kit Kats, but that would require a side-by-side taste test. Next week, I'll try to find something a little stranger. The real strange Kit Kat Flavors are in Japan: Pineapple, Melon, Apple, Passion Fruit and Green Tea, to name just a few. Looks like I should be heading to Tokyo soon. A KIT KAT FACT! One of the ingredients used in the production of Kit Kat bars is, appropriately enough, other Kit Kat bars which were damaged during manufacturing. They are powdered, and used as filling.

Beach Party!

Another exciting weekend here in T.O. On Saturday mornings I walk to Weight Watchers to get weighed in. If you don't already know, and I doubt if you are reading this that you don't, I have been attending WW for several years now and have managed to lose 90+ pounds. I even had to lose 50 lbs. twice - once before and once after the birth of Baby Boy. I still have about 30 more lbs. to go. Anyway, after I went to WW, I immediately walked to the candy store. Naturally. And guess what I found? You bet...Peeps! Yes, I finally found my precious Peeps and Peep-a-palooza will go ahead as planned. Hooray! So, a big thank you Suckers Candy Co. After I got home, the fambly decided to go to The Beaches. The Beaches are located on the shore of Lake Ontario and it's filled with expensive homes and adorable little shops. And beaches. Naturally. We hopped on the street car, which is my favorite form of public transportation, and bopped down the street. We got off and had a yummy lunch at Murphy's Law. It was there that I noticed that Baby Boy's top two teeth are coming in. So, now his teeth total will double to four! Congrats! We walked all the way up Queen street and looked in the windows of all the little stores. Although it was a little warmer and sunnier than usual, it'll be better to go back to The Beaches in the Summer. We then took a brief side trip off the street and through the Kew Beach Memorial Gardens to look at the actual beach. The beach was nice and, again, it will be nicer in the Summer. A little chilly, that's all I'm saying. There is a lovely boardwalk where people jog and take thier dogs for runs. It was then I realized that everyone in Toronto either has kids or dogs. Sometimes both. Sometimes you are a kid or a dog. Sometimes you are both. We decided to walk all the way back to our house and that turned out to be over 3 miles away. So, let's just say that we walked quite a bit. But overall a fun day. A CANADIAN FACT! The Toronto Beaches are: Sunnyside Beach (Sir Casmir Gzowski, Sunnyside and Budapest Park); Woodbine Beaches (Woodbine Ashbridges Bay and Beaches); and Kew-Balmy Beach (Kew and Balmy beaches).

Smoking Stinks

Now, let me preface this by saying I don't smoke. But I do walk and look at the garbage that lines the streets. The most common garbage I see are coffee cups and cigarette packs. One thing I immediately noticed was that these packages have large warnings on them, much larger than the ones in the U.S. As you can see, they can be pretty graphic. They are also really large and fill up the top of the package (see right and below). These warnings were first put on packages in 2000. The labels cover 50% of the entire package (front and back) and are considered the largest and most graphic warning labels in the world. Inside the packages, there are suggestions on how to quit. A survey was done by the Canadian Cancer Society a few years after the warnings were first printed and they found that 43 percent of smokers and 40 percent of nonsmokers said they are more concerned about the health effects of smoking because of the new warnings. The study also showed that 38 percent of smokers who attempted to quit in 2001 said the new warnings were a factor in motivating them to try to quit. But, don't feel down. These are good things! We want people to stop smoking! So, here's to no more smoking. Pick a day to stop and just stop. What's the American Reading? I just picked up The Fasting Girl: A True Victorian Medical Mystery. So far, pretty good. It's about a woman who claimed to not eat (more or less) for 12 years and stayed in her bedroom from age 19 until the day she died. Freeky and fascinating. A CANADIAN FACT! A carton of cigarettes in Ontario costs $66.23 (CAN).

Food Fun

Not for any real reason, I wanted to post this. Tomorrow, at 1:02:03 o'clock, the time and date will be: 01:02:03 04/05/06. Neat, huh? Anyway, today I wanted to share will my readers two pieces of Canadian food knowledge. Firstly, the humble Nanaimo Bar. Named after the city of Nanaimo, British Columbia, these bars are a tasty traditional Canadian dessert. The bar consists of a crumb-based layer, sometimes with coconut, topped by a light custard which is covered in soft chocolate. Delish. Apparently, it's more of a Christmas cookie, but the Toronto Film Studios commissary had them a few weeks ago and at my officemate's insistence, we had them. The bar has been around since at least the 1950's under the name Nanaimo, but there are lots of different recipes and names for this particular snack and surely existed before then. The City of Nanaimo takes its Nanaimo bars very seriously; the city's mascot is known as Nanaimo Barney and has the shape of a giant Nanaimo bar. That's my kind of city - a giant cookie mascot. Also, there are box mixes (sacrilege, I'm sure) to make Nanaimo bars, so maybe I'll give it a shot this upcoming Christmas season. The other topic is the controversial "Canadian Bacon." As you may guess, Canadians do not refer to this popular breakfast/sandwich meat by this term. It can either be referred to as "Peameal Bacon" or "Back Bacon." Peameal bacon is slightly different than back bacon. It is known as peameal bacon, because in times past a mixture of ground yellow peas was used for coating to improve curing and shelf-life. The "Canadian" bacon sold in the United States is plain lean back bacon. Peameal bacon is found in virtually every restaurant as a side dish, a burger topping or as a sandwich meat. I haven't tried it myself, but I imagine some day peameal bacon and I will cross paths. Stay tuned. A CANADIAN FACT! Strictly speaking, Canadian Bacon, Back Bacon and Peameal Bacon are not bacon. They are really all pork loin.

Making Changes

I just wanted to change up the site a little bit. Do not be alarmed. It's still the same site. Take a deep breath. Everything will be just fine.

In A Pickle

Hey all! It's raining out right now. I hope you remembered to put your clocks ahead this weekend. We have that in Canada, too. This weekend, we went to the Pickle Barrel. At one time, the PB was a deli. Based on the menus, which had advertisements inside, it appears to be more like a certain other restaurant that I'm familiar with from the States. The food was pretty good and the service fine, but what was notable was that Baby Boy slept through the entire meal. What a nice surprise. Speaking of Baby Boy, he has started to say, with some prodding, "Bye Bye" and waving good-bye. Actually, he says "ba-bay." Close enough. AND UNBELIEVABLE ADORABLE! After lunch, we wandered around Yonge (pronounced Young) Street and looked at all the stores. Yonge is a pretty prominent street that is similar to Sunset Boulevard or 5th Avenue. We'll have to back at night to see all of the neon signs. It was so nice out that my winter coat was making me sweat. I was the only person walking around with a big puffy jacket. I'll figure out this weather thing sooner or later. Last night was the Juno Awards, which is like the Canadian Grammy Awards. It was kind of interesting, since I didn't know all the artists. But the big winner was neo-Rat Pack singer, Michael Buble, who I do know. I also call shenanigans, as there was an Best International Award, and there was a tie for this award: The Black Eyed Peas (Wha!) and Coldplay. Coincidentally enough, both of those acts were performing on the Junos. Hmmmmm. Suspicious. And Bryan Adams was inducted in the Canadian Music Hall of Fame. Good for him. "Ba-Bay!" And now, a new feature: What is the American reading? I'm currently reading Molvania: A Land Untouched By Modern Dentistry. Hilarious, fake travel guide that reads like The Onion. So, very very funny. A CANADIAN FACT! The origins of the awards date back to 1970. A year later, the name was changed from the Gold Leaf Awards to the Juno Awards in honor of Pierre Juneau, then head of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (like the FCC). When it was discovered that Juno had been the chief Goddess of the Roman Pantheon, the spelling was changed and the awards permanently named.